


The Hallows Fest

by ginnekomiko



Series: The Sum of Zero and Five [6]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Anal Fingering, Fluff and Smut, Light Bondage, M/M, Porn With Plot, Rimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-13 21:37:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16480211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnekomiko/pseuds/ginnekomiko
Summary: Niles and Sheng go home. Niles remembers he's suppose to play the devil at a royal festival.





	The Hallows Fest

 

Niles wiped his brow. “There! I think that should do it for the cleanup. Hey, Sheng, are you done in the kitchen?”

“Yes!” said the distant voice.

Sheng peeked his mass of fluffy brown hair through the kitchen doorway. His downward glance told Niles he was being shy, but about what, he wasn’t sure.

“Um, I made you a few meals that are more suitable for traveling. Only, I may have made them too big. Here, please look, will you eat these?”

Niles unwrapped the pretty cloth covering to reveal some boxed lunches. “Sandwiches, huh? Ooo! I get to have side dishes, too? Wait, did you use up all the extra food for these?”

“Only the perish…? purse…? I… did not want these to spoil.”

“Thank you for making me these. Heh, I’m going to eat well for days! The other retainers are going to be _so_ jealous!”

Sheng inspected the room. He nodded in approval. “You did well with your part of the cleaning. It’s as if we were never here.”

“A good thief should always be able to cover their tracks. Shall we head back home now?”

Sheng paused. “We are going together?”

“Yeah, I mean, we’re basically going to the same place. It wouldn’t hurt for me to check on the den before I return to Lord Leo at the castle, so I’ll walk you with you.”

Sheng looked so very happy at this idea. He tried to hide his smile by putting his hands to his mouth. “C-can we perhaps… hold hands as we walk?”

Niles grinned deviously. “How _scandalous_ of you! Of course we can.” He immediately grabbed Sheng’s hand.

“You’re not… embarrassed?” Sheng said, holding his hand like it was something precious.

Niles eyed him a bit more seriously. “No. Are you?”

Sheng shook his head vigorously. “Just checking! Others in the den have remarked that you do not like such things, but I want to hear what you dislike from your mouth only.”

“Ah, okay. So somebody thinks they know my tastes, huh? Not that you were embarrassed by being seen with me.” He ruffled Sheng’s hair with his free hand. “Thank you for asking me first.”

“You mean you thought that I was…?”  another head shake, and now, a downward glance. “No, no! You are fine! It is surely me who is embarrassing for you.”

“You’ll have to be _way_ worse in public before I ever get embarrassed by you.” He gave him a little kiss. Don’t talk about yourself like that, okay? It’s not a thing I like to hear.”

“It… will be hard to unlearn, but I will try.”

“Does some positive reinforcement on the matter sound like a good idea to you?”

“Yes, please! Only… what happens when I slip?”

“That depends. What do you _want_ to happen when you slip?”

Sheng looked down for a moment, seemingly thinking about his answer, and then he whispered into his ear.

Niles gave him another little kiss. “Of course I can do that for you. That’s not hard for me at all. You’re cute, you know that?”

He felt his hand get squeezed.

The walk back from the cabin was quiet, but it was the peaceful kind. Just him, his lover, and their hands keeping them connected as they trudged through the snow. Niles kept his hand firmly gripped on Sheng’s.

Niles’s den of Not Quite Thieves resided in the heart of Nohr’s underground belly. The “true” Nohr, as it was sometimes called. While he himself had given up his old profession, it did not mean he didn’t have others like his younger self in his growing network, nor that he had neglected his skills. Most of his people were like he had been, decent enough at their core, but the gods never favored them with any good circumstances. They were often poor, hungry, and just trying to make it another day.

“Boss, where have you _been_?” one of his lower rung workers asked. “Prince Leo has been asking around for you for days!”

“Aww! Did he miss me?” Niles asked.

“He wanted to remind you that you promised you’d play the devil in the Hallows Fest,” said another.

 Niles paused. “Oh, yeah, I did, didn’t I?”

“A festival?” Sheng asked.

“You want to come with me? We can make it a date!”

Sheng glanced sideways. “I would, but I cannot… I am working that night.”

Niles’s face fell. “ _What_? What kind of job do you have that works on a royal celebration? The idea of the Hallows Fest is to take the day _off_ from working!”

“It’s for the opera house. They will be at the palace to perform for the king and his children and I will be one of the main dancers for the routine they have planned,” Sheng said. “Would you like some help with your costume?”

 “That’s right! You’re the tailor’s apprentice on Tuesdays and Thursdays! I’m sure you’ll help me look amazing! How much do you charge?”

“That depends on what you want to do. If you want lots of… um, sparkles and flames that will cost more.”

Niles had the biggest grin on his face. He wasn’t sure if Sheng, meant to say ‘flare,’ or if he legitimately thought about adding sparkles and flames to his costume. “What do you think would look good on me? I’m happy to pay you whatever price you think is best I’m actually getting paid for this little dress up gig, so it’s no big deal.” Niles leaned in closer. “Or maybe… you had something _else_ in mind in terms of payment?”

Sheng thought for a moment, despite being obviously flustered by the gesture. “Can I ask for half and half? The coin payment can be at a discount if you agree to pay for something for me.”

“Of course you can! What kind of thing am I buying for you?”

Sheng whispered something in his ear.

Niles couldn’t believe it. “I will pay for that in a heartbeat.”

Sheng’s cheeks were still red. “We are agreed, then.”

This was going to be _so_ good! Too bad the Hallows Fest was weeks away still.

*

The devil costume ended up somewhere between seductive and over the top, just the way he wanted! He was going to crush this part!  The one part of his costume he didn’t get at first was the hidden symbol under his eyepatch.

“I am putting this on to ward off any bad spirits,” Sheng had said as he painted over the fabric. “You are only playing an imp after all. I want you to come home safely.”

Niles put his hand over his eyepatch. Had anyone… said that to him before? He was glad for the moody dark atmosphere in the castle to hide his flushed face.

“Hi Niles!” Princess Elise said with a wave. She was decked out as some kind of woodland fairy. Her usual retainers Arthur (a squirrel OF JUSTICE!) and Effie, (a very convincing tree), were accompanying her. Elise was holding the hand of a rather shy golden-haired woman who seemed to be playing the Fairy Queen.

“Hello Princess. Is she your plus one?” Niles asked.

“Yeah! My Nana has never ever been to one of these parties! So, of course I _had_ to invite her!” Elise said with a big smile.

The woman smiled warmly. “This one was very honored to be the Princess’s choice.”

“I’m glad to see you got out for the night,” Niles said. “Have fun at the ball, cinder-girl.”

Oh? What was going on over here?

“I’VE COME TO FEAST UPON YOUR BLOOD!”  a familiar voice shouted all the way across the hall.

“Hi Odin,” Niles said rather flatly.

Of course, Odin Dark dressed up as a dark vampire lord. Of. Course. Niles’s eye trailed down to see one of Odin’s hand was holding something.

“Bea, is that you under that bedsheet?” Niles asked.

Playful green eyes looked up at him from the poorly cut out holes. “Isn’t my costume idea great?” Yep, that was Beatrice’s voice. “If people can’t see me, it looks like Odin is doing a cool magic trick!”

“Ah, so that’s how you’re getting around that curse.” Niles grinned. “When did you two discover hand-holding?”

“Recent- I mean! I want to keep her close, just in case!” Odin said.

Uh-huh.

“His hands are really safe and warm!” Beatrice added.

Odin blushed so hard, he probably could have lit up part of the room, but he recovered with a cough. “AHEM! May I have this dance, my lady?” Odin asked as he gave Beatrice a little twirl.

“Yes,yes,yes! You may!”

“Away we go!” said Odin.

The trumpets were blaring, some big announcement was coming. Everyone’s attention was directed to the stairway.  

Oh, so the king was even letting the ever-reclusive Princess Lumia out of her tower for this party? Niles was unsure if she’d ever be let out again after her peacemaking stint in the Ice Tribe Village. The middle princess was dressed as a witch, complete with cute floppy pointed hat. Her hair really did look like moonlight when contrasted with the deep purples. The long flowing black and purple ballgown did well in covering her supposedly deformed legs. Lord Leo would often make time to come and visit her in her tower, so he could recalibrate the magic braces she used to help her walk.

With Xander on one side, (wait, was he the Fairy King to match Elise’s set?) and Leo, (the witch’s familiar? How _had_ his lord been convinced to put on those adorable cat ears?) on her other, Princess Lumia didn’t seem to have any trouble making it down the long, spiraled stairway.

“Ah! Lulu is finally here!” Elise said with little jumps.

Princess Lumia immediately wanted to sit down after that trek down the stairs. She smiled at Niles and gave a small wave. She was soon joined by Princess Camila who was dressed like a crow. Her fluffy black wings crashed into everything, but no one seemed to mind.

“Which theme do you fit?” Niles asked the eldest princess.

“Both of course!” Camilla said with a smile. “Crows are prominent figures in both the fairy stories and witch tales. Each of my darling little sisters had such wonderful ideas for themed costumes, that I couldn’t possibly cause a rift between them. Lulu dear, if your too tired, you just let your big sis know, okay?”

“Thank you,” Lumia said softly as she rested her head on Camilla’s shoulders.

“Nana! Effie! It’s starting!” Elise whispered excitedly.

“Here, my lady, so you may see him better,” said Nana, lifting Elise onto her shoulders.

“I love you, Nana!”

Laslow introduced the theater troupe.

The story seemed to be about a mysterious traveler in a feathered hat and a mask, who vanished as quickly as he appeared. To dance with him, was death. The first act was very heavy on the dancing. A choregraphed history of the stranger’s kills before he came to the small town where the unknowing lady awaited his cold, but loving embrace. He wooed his next victim with silent devotion.

After intermission, Niles was positive they put another guy in the role of the stranger. This act had a lot less dancing, and a _lot_ more dialogue. Maybe it was the boisterous way this guy said his lines, but Niles was tuning out, fast. When he glanced over, Princess Elise, had the most amusing pout on her face.

“Now, is anyone _brave_ enough to dance with our mysterious stranger?” Laslow asked after everyone had taken their bows.

“OH! ME! ME! PICK ME!” Elise said, waving her arms.

Of course, she was picked.

Oh? This man made no issue with showing his handsome face after the curtain had fallen. “Of course, Princess! It would be my honor to…”

“Not you!” the littlest princess said sweetly to the handsome face.

Niles loved it when the littlest rose showed her thorns.

“Who do you want to dance with if not the stranger?” Laslow asked.

Elise said she wanted to dance with the one who played the stranger in the first act. The double was brought out from behind the curtain, looking very confused, but once he saw the princess and her excited demeanor, he accepted her hand and they did a cute little waltz together.

They _had_ switched them during the intermission. This guy was a much better dancer. Where the heck was his boyfriend? That was the only reason he decided to pay attention to this show in the first place!

Niles sat down and ordered a drink from the tavern owner.

“Hello!” Sheng said, somewhere between his dinner and a second drink.

“Hello, indeed. Where _exactly_ have you been all night?”

“Ah, I wanted to wash my face,” Sheng said. “Those lights make me very sweaty.”

“I looked for you on stage, but I didn’t see you. What part did you play?” Niles grinned. “Were you the dog?”

Sheng blushed. “I was… the stranger for the first act.”

For once, Niles didn’t have a witty comeback. He simply whistled. “No wonder I couldn’t take my eye off of him.”

Sheng leaned into a hug.

“What?” Niles asked.

“I…I made you look too attractive!”

Niles grinned. “I’ve been getting compliments all night, you know. Want your usual?”

“Yes please.”

Niles ordered one non-acholic cherry flavored drink. The two of them sat side by side at the bar, eating and drinking together.

This was nice.

“Great devil getup, Niles! Good job on the hideous face for your Hoshiden spy getup, dude!” said a random partygoer.

Sheng played with his food. He looked like he was about to cry. He was no longer wearing anything resembling a mask, just his natural face. Hell, he wasn’t even wearing a costume anymore, just his normal day ki… kim.. whatever it was called.

Niles distracted his lover by leaning in and giving him a deep kiss and a little touch to his crotch. “What do you say we ditch this place and have a little fun by ourselves? I have the _strongest_ urge to punch an idiot right now, but I promised my lord I’d behave, and I _really_ want to get to the second part of tonight where we try out that thing you wanted me to get for you, which I did get.”

“Yes.”

Niles put some money down to pay the bill.

“Babe, you’re shaking. Are you okay?” Niles asked as they left the castle.

Sheng nodded. “I’m still a little uneasy from waiting in the dark after switching parts, and the sun is setting, so it is cold.”

 “Come here, baby,” Niles said as he pulled him under his costume’s cape as they walked through the dark streets.

Sheng paused. “…Baby?”

“That’s right! You’re my baby now. And babies get lots of attention.”

“Oh, okay. Only... I don’t know when my birthday is. I might be older than you.”

 Niles gave him a kiss. “You can be older than me and still be my baby; I don’t mind. I’m pretty sure you’re younger than me, though, only a little bit, two years, tops. If you were older than me, you’d have a longer memory.”

 “You are not… laughing at me?”

“Why would I do that? I know the dark can be pretty scary.” He whispered the next part, “how do you feel about trying the restraints you wanted when we get home?”

 “This one… will gladly be whatever piece of furniture you wish,” Sheng whispered back.

Niles messed with Shengs hair a little roughly. “You’d better be playing sub right now, if you’re not, you need to come out of that mindset immediately.”

“Oh? What’s wrong with it?”

“You sound like Elise’s nursemaid when you call yourself ‘this one,’ and that freaks me out. I don’t like it. It brings back bad memories for me.”

Sheng’s eyes widened. He put his hand to his mouth. “She said that? Is she perhaps still… numbered?”

Niles nodded. “From what I understand through gossip, she’s a Seven. Little Elise calls her ‘Nana’ because that’s been the girl’s main role since the littlest princess was born, but as long as I’ve been in service to Lord Leo, she’s never been addressed by anything other than her job, which tells me she’s never been given a proper name.”

“So… she sees herself more as furniture than as a person. I see, I’m sorry for the remark. The Princes and Princesses don’t seem like bad people, has no one told them about the naming of the numbered?”

“I don’t think the royals know all the ins and outs of numbered culture, and I don’t want to be the one to explain it to them, you know? That’s not a part of my past people need to know about.”

“Yes, I understand… Ah! Then you were also like me? I had a feeling, even when we first met!”

“Heh, I _knew_ it! Can I ask what your number was?”

Sheng scanned the empty streets. Not a soul was around. “Before I was ‘Sheng’, I was a Five.”

“A Five, huh? I can see that. My number was Zero.”

“So, you were a Zero? You seem much more like a One or a Four to me.”

 Niles cocked his head. “What makes you say that?”

“Zeros are normally a silent number, and you like to talk so much.” He felt his butt get pinched, and then he was pulled into a flurry of bites and kisses until he couldn’t stop laughing.

“That’s what you get for teasing me, you know! I went by just ‘Zero’ for a long time. Who finally gave you a name?”

“My Mo-Maokami.”

“Your… Mom?”

 Sheng beamed. “Yes! Sorry, I forgot the right word for a bit. ‘Maoka’ is the Chon'sinian word for ‘mother,’ but um ‘mi’ makes it… cuter? I also have another mother I call ‘Mama.’ They run this exotic potion shop in the slums.”

Mommy and Mama, huh? He was too cute. “Oh, you have two moms? Go figure. Wait, are they the ones on Drizzle Terrace? The Double Bubble? I go there all the time!”

 Sheng nodded. “That is them, yes! Thank you for helping to support my family.”

“Wait, you mean you were living three streets down from my den this _entire_ time? How did I not see you before you tried to steal from me?”

“I did my best to stay out of sight when they were open. I always worked in the back. There is someone… I did not want to see ever again, and I did not want him to know where I lived, or that I now had mothers. I only recently made enough to try to move out on my own. I want to always keep them safe from anything bad in my past. They do not deserve my mess, you know?”

“Ah, okay. Can I ask about him or should I stop while I’m ahead?”

“I will talk about him some, but…”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me _everything_. Just what you’re comfortable with. Do you mind if I ask about your moms, as well? They seem like cool ladies.”

“They more or less adopted me after I failed to rob them one night as a tiny child.”

Niles laughed and put his arms around him. “Don’t steal from anyone else, okay? I’ll share with your moms, but I like that you’re mine.”

Sheng smiled and leaned against him. “Back then, I was on the run from the man who raised me as a Five. He was going to sell me to another man who scared me very much. So, I slipped away that night after I drugged my teacher’s tea so that he would sleep through any noise I made. I lived on the streets for a while after that, but yes, my mothers were the first to call me ‘Sheng.’ I owe them so much. I don’t feel I can ever… pay them back for letting me be their son.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, my old boss was pretty worthless on the whole, but he did give me my name. Can I meet them officially? Or do you not want to bring someone like me home to the moms?”

 “Yes, of course! I have written about you in my letters to home, so they know I love you, and that we are together as a couple.”

Now Niles wondered if those nice ladies knew he was totally banging their son, or that their son had asked his lover to buy him his first piece of bondage gear.

Most of the crew was still out, so they had the den to themselves, but, just to be sure, Niles put the usual sign on his bedroom door.

 “You tell me if you’re uncomfortable in this, okay?” Niles said as he cast a protective spell on both of them.

“Yes, aiwo,” Sheng said as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Sheng had asked for an armbinder. Niles had often teased Sheng for his habit of covering himself with his hands, and often playfully voiced that one day he would tie his wrists together. He never expected Sheng to agree to try it, much less want his own gear.

Niles kissed Sheng’s taut upper body, leaving just the tiniest graze of his teeth. He breathed in and out slowly, allowing the warmth of his breath to mist over Sheng’s skin. He was so ticklish, the littlest thing set him off.  Of course, maybe he was nervous, not being used to the bondage gear and, all.

It seemed the uncertainty of what exactly Niles was going to do next wasn’t hurting his arousal. So of course, he teased him mercilessly. Kissing his inner thigh really set him off.   

“I would like out now,” Sheng said between gasps.

Niles smiled a little. “You did well. Thank you for telling me when you were at your limit.”

“I probably could have lasted longer, but my body is very tired.”

“I bet. My beautiful man worked so hard tonight. Would you like a massage? I’ll throw in a little extra, just for you.”

“Yes.”

“Roll over.”

Niles did enjoy using his hands to turn this sweaty mass of tense, knotted muscles into a moaning, happy mess.  

“Am I really beautiful to you?” Sheng asked as Niles was working his upper back. “You are not just saying that?”

“Oh? You think I pull that trick, do you? Honest opinion: Yeah, your face isn’t exactly pretty to look at by some people’s standards. The scars tell people you’ve been through shit, and that scares them, but I personally find that attractive. Your face is very soft and kissable, which is obviously important. The rest of you is easy on my eye as well. So many strong muscles. So yes, I think you’re beautiful, and I was about to punch a drunk for calling you a monster-face. Besides, you have a lot of good qualities that aren’t physical.”

“Such as?”

“You find me attractive, for one, even with my winning personality.”

Sheng gave a loud, snorty laugh. It was somewhat muffled by the pillow.

“There are other things, too. Like that little charm you put on my eyepatch to protect me tonight. I thought that was really sweet. I know spirits are a big deal to you. My costume only looked that good because you helped make it for me.”

He’d autopiloted to lubing his fingers.

“W-where are you touching?” Sheng asked.

“Oh right, I’ve never tried this with you before, have I? This is called ‘fingering,’ for obvious reasons.”

“In there? Isn’t that… a dirty place?”

“Not really. Besides, you saw me put the protective spells on both of us.”

“Yes, that is one of your rules. Okay, if you say so. Mmmph!”

“That was a good sound. Does it feel good to you when I touch you here?”

“Yes…”

“Do you want me to do it more?”

“Yes, aiwo.”

 “Shall I get bolder? I know I wouldn’t mind using my tongue on this perfect ass if that would please you.”

“Is that allowed? I mean, it’s your mouth!”

“I’ll put my mouth wherever I please, thank you.”

“If you’re sure, then…”

Okay, now he _had_ to do it. He’d leave the rest of it up to Sheng’s reaction to it.

“It’s like this.”

He felt Sheng’s body tense a little, but after the first few teases with his tongue, he was much more relaxed and seemed to be enjoying himself.

“You okay?”

“…It felt good.”

“That’s the idea. More or no?”

“More please.”

“Fingers or mouth?”

“Mouth… and then fingers?”

“Sure thing, handsome.”

A nice dip in their bath would be a fitting way to end this entertaining evening. Then, he could fall asleep to the sound of his lover softly breathing against him, only blowing out the candle when he was sure he was asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so a couple of things:
> 
> 1\. I posted the first half of this fic and then took it down because I didn't like it as just a transition piece.
> 
> 2\. Meet my female Nohr MCs! (Beatrice, Lumia, and Nana.)
> 
> 3\. Fun fact: the numbered children subplot came about entirely because I didn't know if I wanted to use "Niles" or "Zero" and then Sheng responded to a vocaloid song called, "Fifth Pierrot," and it stuck.
> 
> 4\. After this work, I'll post them as story arcs with actual chapters, because of course this story expanded beyond the one-shot I planned it to be.


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